Clippers forward Blake Griffin has a bloody nose after getting hit in the face by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka during the second half. MICHAEL GOULDING, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

LOS ANGELES – They sure have our attention. And your attention. And the attention of pretty much everyone else.

Now the Clippers need to do something with all that attention, like validate it. Sorry, but requiring seven games to eliminate undersized Golden State validated nothing.

They had the second round of the NBA playoffs and Oklahoma City at Staples Center on Friday, a chance to go back on top in a series that can only grow tighter as it grows longer.

Unfortunately, the Thunder has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and when Serge Ibaka goes for 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, the Thunder usually will win. Here, it was 118-112, Oklahoma City.

During his trip to Malaysia last month, President Obama wasn’t asked about Mike Trout, California Chrome or even Johnny Manziel. But he was asked about the Clippers.

It has been a couple weeks now, but enough time never will pass to lessen the absurdity of that fact.

For some very wrong reasons, the Clippers have become a national story, a franchise still existing locally in the shadow of the Lakers yet being talked about – nearly 10,000 miles away – by the leader of the free world.

What’s next? Ah, President Putin, do you agree with how the Clippers are using “Big Baby” Davis?

The Clippers never have been on the radar like this, and how many teams in all of sports ever have been, actually?

So an opportunity most golden has emerged from a situation most tarnished. Given all this exposure, the Clippers now must confirm it by beating the Thunder, a possibility greatly enhanced when they rose up – often uncovered and from beyond the 3-point line – to win Game 1 on the road.

They were very good at times Friday, most notably Blake Griffin overcoming waves of Oklahoma City muscle and a nose that was bloodied to carry his team for stretches. But very good isn’t enough at this point.

If the Clippers come up short now, what are we left with? No, not The Same Old Clippers. Those guys would have seriously considered Keith Closs a legitimate NBA player, lost 55 times and never arrived at Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals in the first place.

But we would be left with something that feels incredibly hollow after all the substance that has been heaped upon this team recently.

Consider that a new CEO – Dick Parsons – taking control of the Clippers’ business operations Friday was a major news development nationally. Before Chris Paul got here, Dick Tracy could have been named Clippers’ CEO and not even Fred Roggin would have mentioned it.

We’ve seen the Clippers make these sorts of promises before and then always fail to keep them. One of this team’s slogans is “It’s Time,” and they sure got that part right.

It’s one of the truest things in sports, the reality that, at some point for every franchise, winning is the only answer. This series is that point for the Clippers.

They were knocked woozy for one game last series thanks to Donald Sterling and still survived the Warriors. But lose now and what does that matter? What does a new CEO or new owner matter? Oprah Winfrey could jump center to start next season and would anyone care?

The Clippers have a passionate following, the noise that greeted Paul’s 3-point shot at the end of the first half Friday underlining that fact in guttural ink. But this opportunity is about something much larger than Clipper Nation.

Clipper Nation already is sold; it’s the rest of the nation – starting with large chunks of the Southland – that matter today.

This is the Clippers’ window, one propped wide open for another season – and maybe more – before the Lakers have their riddles solved, assuming Kobe Bryant hires the right head coach, of course.

The Clippers even have better local TV ratings right now than the Dodgers do, and, OK, the Dodgers aren’t even on most local TVs at the moment, but let’s not get too technical about this.

Doc Rivers deserves immense credit for guiding the Clippers through the Sterling mess, scandal, fiasco or whatever we’re calling this thing. He has emerged more respected and more empowered than ever, and this is a guy who helped bring a championship to the storied Celtics.

Now, however, is Rivers’ time, too. He wasn’t given this dynamic, deep roster to become the group’s eloquent spokesman. He was hired to do things like beat a tough and playoff-tested Thunder team in games just like this one.

At home. With the series even at 1-1. With a chance to maintain the home-court advantage stolen away in Game 1.

It all set up nicely Friday, set up for the Clippers to take a step toward validation, a step toward a place this franchise never has been before.

But then came the sound of Thunder, and the Clippers were in trouble, despite their already proven ability to weather storms.

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